Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy said the US Department of Defense denied him access to a key US military base in Qatar during a visit to the Middle East, describing it as part of a US government effort to conceal the impact of the Iran war.
A Chicago teacher who was shot five times by an immigration agent last year is suing the federal government for damages. The federal government had originally charged Marimar Martinez with assault after she was shot by Border Patrol agent Charles Exum in October, saying she was a "domestic terrorist" who "ambushed" law enforcement agents and rammed them with her vehicle.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday there is no "consensus" yet on advancing a bill establishing permanent daylight saving time even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Republicans to pass it.
We previously covered the absolute disaster of an investigation that led to a 23-year-old Florida woman spending 13 days in a maximum-security jail over a fatal hit-and-run she had absolutely nothing to do with. read more
Global oil stockpiles are "scarily thin" owing to the U.S.-Iran war, Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser said Monday, days after G7 nations agreed to release more of their inventories to ease supply concerns. read more
Texas city charges $2 million for Flock records as agencies make it harder to see how cameras are used
www.texastribune.org
... In the Fort Worth-area suburb of North Richland Hills, getting answers about how police use their Flock Safety cameras could cost $2.3 million.
Or at least, that's how much the city is charging a Flock watchdog -- requiring it all be paid up-front -- after he filed a public records request for information about the city's AI-powered cameras. The invoice said it was accounting for labor costs of $15 an hour -- equivalent to more than 14 years of work -- to search about a terabyte worth of communications about errors, misuse and effectiveness of the Flock system.
The North Richland Hills price tag is just the latest example of how local and state governments have increasingly made it more difficult to access information about Flock cameras as scrutiny over the surveillance system has intensified in recent months. ...
@#8 ... The cognitive disconnect of some is disconcerting. ...
Well, yeah.
The cognitive disconnect between what Pres Trump is doing, and what he has criticized prior Presidents for doing is not insignificant.
List of executive actions by Barack Obama
en.wikipedia.org
List of executive actions by Donald Trump
en.wikipedia.org
Also, what should be considered is the longer-term intent of the Executive Orders issued by each of them, and not just the quantity.
@#70 ... He's a hell of a lot smarter than you, ...
I have to wonder how it made that determination.
@#4
Ahh.. you remember that?
:)
John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant
en.wikipedia.org
... The John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant is a sewage treatment plant in Danbury, Connecticut, named after the English-American comedian and political satirist John Oliver.
The plant was completely renovated in response to a 2008 order from state and federal agencies to address the inability of the existing sewage system to curtail phosphorus concentrations in wastewater, as well as other environmental issues.
After Oliver made fun of Danbury on his show, Last Week Tonight, Danbury mayor Mark Boughton responded by offering to rename their $100-million sewage plant for Oliver.
Boughton later told reporters that it was a joke, but after Oliver offered $55,000 to local charities in exchange for the plant's renaming, the city agreed to officially rename the site in his honor.
Construction began in 2019, and was finished in October 2020, with Oliver personally attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony. ...
A fun time was had by all ...
Hey, have you heard this tune from over a half-century ago?
Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change the World (1971)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
Everywhere is freaks and hairies, ----- and fairies
Tell me where is sanity?
Tax the rich, feed the poor, 'til there are no rich no more
I'd love to change the world - but I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Population - keeps on breeding, nation bleeding,
Still more feeding economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny, bees make honey
Who needs money? Monopoly!
I'd love to change the world - but I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you... Oh yeah
World pollution, there's no solution, institution, electrocution
Just black and white, rich or poor, them and us
We'll stop the war!
I'd love to change the world - but I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you...
...
Prescient? ...
China's crude oil imports fell in the second quarter (July 2026)
www.eia.gov
... China, the world's largest importer of crude oil, imported less crude oil in the second quarter of 2026 (2Q26) following higher crude oil prices that resulted from disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz. China's lower imports reduced global demand, softening the upward price effects from the disrupted supply through the strait.
Monthly data from China's General Administration of Customs indicate that China imported just 8.1 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in 2Q26, 32% less than the previous quarter. In May and June, imports fell below 8.0 million b/d for the first time since 2016. ...
Yup, and fwiw, the above substantial decrease was mentioned in a comment here on this most august site back then.
OK, that was then, and this is now ...
China's Crude Buying Rebounds as Fuel Exports Jump 29% (September 2026)
oilprice.com
... China's crude oil imports rose for the second consecutive month in August as refiners turned to additional non-Middle Eastern supply and boosted overseas fuel shipments amid eased export restrictions.
China imported 37.93 million tons, or 8.93 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in August, up by 6.2% compared to July, and further recovering from the decade-low seen in June, official Chinese customs data showed on Tuesday.
The August import level was still 23.4% lower compared to the same month last year, but it's a marked improvement from the June lows of just 7.1 million bpd.
China slashed its total crude oil imports to a decade low in June, culminating three months of very low import levels amid high prices and constrained supply from the Middle East.
Beijing, having amassed about 1.4 billion barrels of crude before the war, could afford to dramatically reduce its crude buying, slashing import volumes in June by an estimated 4.4 million bpd compared to the 2025 average. ...
More from the article ...